Local oral surgeon wants to gift a new smile

Published at 6:15 pm, April 25, 2019

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IDAHO FALLS– A local oral surgeon believes great smiles can change lives– that’s why he wants to give one away, valued up to $50,000.

Dr. Gregory McGee, DMD, is teaming up with prosthodontist Dr. Blake Barney to do a free arch reconstruction. McGee says this is the third time he’s done the Fresh Start program, and he’s taking applicants until April 30.

“We wanted to get an opportunity to change someone’s life, and so we decided the best way we could do it is to just show what we can do,” McGee says.

Before arch reconstruction. | Courtesy Photo

McGee says he has enjoyed giving patients a new smile, and the program has been an enormous success. He says a potential candidate would be someone who has very poor teeth, or what dentists would call a “failing dentition.”

“The teeth are not salvageable or they may already have dentures, which would be another case,” McGee says. “So if you already have no teeth or your teeth are not worth saving, this is for you.”

McGee says before the arch reconstruction a 3D print of what your teeth could look like can be made.

He says during the reconstruction, teeth are removed, and implants are placed.

An x-ray of the dental implants. | Courtesy photo

A 3D print of the patient’s teeth to give a visual representation of the final look. | Courtesy photo

“We’ll pull the teeth, put in four to six implants, and then we recreate the entire smile with usually a zirconia-style smile,” McGee says.

McGee says the new teeth are anchored to the implants so they function like natural teeth.

“The advantage is they’ll never get decay, and they look great, like a Hollywood smile,” McGee says. “We’re excited here to help the Idaho Falls community.”